Lindisfarne Circumnavigation ( anticlockwise )







This is a great trip if you want to practise your tidal planning and work on your paddle speed calculations. Get it right and it's a fantastic trip with spectacular views of the Island and it's wildlife. Get it wrong and it could turn into the muddiest, longest back breaking portage you could imagine.

 



Thankfully for us this was a another successful loop. We chanced it a bit undertaking this trip on a 4.6 meter tide but with good timing it's all possible.

 

 

 

 





We left the shelter of the Holy Island Harbour and paddled out under the shadow of the 16th century Castle. Once we rounded Lime Kiln point we could see the effect of the wind on the sea further off. We paddled in shelter along the East facing shore but as we approached Emanuel Head we were met with the full force of the F3/4 North Westerly.

 



The wind was to be no real issue for the sea kayaks but Ollie and Richard had decided to loop the Island in an open canoe. Given the conditions we were now faced with this was certainly going to be a challenging undertaking.

 

 



 



As it turned out the tandem crew were setting up a blistering pace. We finally caught up with them as we pulled out for a swift calorie intake at Snipe Point. This would be our last chance to stretch our legs before we reached the causeway.

 





The next leg of the trip is a tricky one. The channel can be difficult to find a the best of times but this time it was particularly challenging. We had a good bit of swell running and the shore line was shrouded in a mist of salty spray. I had calculated  a distance of 5.3km from the Point to the channel and estimated a paddle time of 50 mins.

 



 

Re-fuelled  and anxious to get going we set off  Westwards towards the channel. The Canoe made good speed again with Richard digging deep and Ollie coaching him with words of encouragement from behind.



Thirty minutes into this leg we were accompanied by a Pod of 20 or so Bottlenose Dolphins. What a fantastic sight. We counted 4 or 5 separate pods with one Mother accompanied by a very small calf. They were very curious as they came right in towards our boats at great speed. They swam with us for a short distance, playing and rolling in the small swells. We could see that Ollie and Richard had a pod with them as well so we kept paddling. Eventually they headed seawards , probably bored with our lethargic paddling speed. There's something special about their presence, we all found ourselves grinning like kids as we whooped and awed at their antics.



 







The distraction of the Dolphins had eaten up a few Kilometres for us and soon we were upon the channel and ready to run the gauntlet of the surf zone. Ollie and Richard headed in first with their canoe. As they disappeared behind a good two meter swell I turned to Grant and said  "That's the wave that takes the open boat out". No sooner had the words left my mouth than up popped the canoe backing up the swell, almost airborne as the wave passed under it. Amazingly they paddled in through all the big stuff only to be swamped by the frothy bits at the side. Still upright though they bailed the water out and made it to the safety of the channel. Now all we had to do was follow in  a similar manor.

We all managed in style, some showing more style than others. Grant decided it would be fun to get out the boat on the peak of one of the larger swells and swim ashore.... these free divers can't stay out of the water...!



By now we were about 20 mins over our predicted time so with haste we made our way Southwards towards the causeway. When we reached the road the tide had dropped about 8" on the poles and we just slipped over the kerbs without contact, those of us with skegs deployed made a slight scraping noise. Forwards for up, backwards for down....or is it the other way round .. ?

 







 



The open boat crew finally came to blows and Richard bailed out. In true divorce boat fashion Ollie paddled off and left Richard looking for a passing taxi in the safety of the shelter. Thankfully the lure of some chocolate brought his ride back to complete the trip.





From here a nice pace in the Ebb sucked us back round to the harbour passing Fenham flats and St Cuthberts Island on the way.







 



 We arrived back in the harbour and enjoyed a warm bowl of soup as we talked of our encounter with the Dolphins. Our short wait for the causeway to re-open was whiled away watching Brian searching for his missing flask and Grant demonstrating his chilli eating skills.

Oh how we laughed !

 

 

Eyemouth to the Maiden Stone

A crisp and bright early November afternoon with a few hours to spare. A light Northerly swell and a load of plastic boats on the roof. That's the perfect recipe for an afternoon bouncing off the rocks beneath the golf course at Eyemouth.  We were paddling the last couple of hours of flood so we decided to head South towards the Maiden Stone which stands off Ross Point just South of the tiny fishing village of Burnmouth.

 

 

This large tower of sandstone was once connected to the mainland but years of natural erosion have left it detached and at high tide it is completely surrounded by the sea.  

 

 

 

On our way down we played on the swells which created lovely pour-overs on some of our favourite rock features.

 

 

 

 

 This gap can be very gnarly and has caught a few of us out in the past. Once you've surfed through the narrow exit you are usually met by another incoming swell on your beam in the wider gap. Just where Brian is sitting taking this picture.

 

Ian decided to turn round in this run after he changed his mind, probably not the best timing , at least it's wide enough to come through sideways...

 

Perfect timing this time as Ian clears the gap with ease. 

 

The washing machine on the North side of Gunsgreen Point, a tricky bit to get into and sometimes even harder to get back out. It gets very interesting at certain stages of the tide as can be seen below.

 

 

Time to get out of there Brian, the rinse cycle has just begun. 

 

 

Ian is ready and lined up for a push over this pour-over as the incoming swell covers up the rock lying across the gap.

 

 

 

Timing the swells to get behind the shallow reefs that protect the Maiden Stone from the seaward side.

 

We reached the Maiden Stone in good time and Brian decided to go for a little climb, but where's his boat  gone ? 

Ah, yes, there it is.

 

Nice parking !!!

 

Although I did find a better coffee stop on the shore just behind the rock. 

 

I don't think there's anyone in the boat,  but then again ?

 

 

 

We found a nice sheltered landing behind the rock for a quick leg stretch before we headed back to Eyemouth.

  By the time we reached Eyemouth the sun had gone down and it was a pleasure to paddle in the evening twilight. The colours in the sky were wonderful but soon disappeared when we entered Eyemouth bay. The ugly glow coming from the neon lights of the amusements on Eyemouth seafront guided us home with the smell of fish and chips wafting in the breeze.

 

 Oh well, back to reality with a bump, at least our batteries had been re-charged ready to take on the rat race for another week. 





Pease Bay to St Abbs, the 20k rock hopping trip



The Forecast had looked a bit dodgy all week for our proposed trip out to the Farne Islands on one of the biggest tides of the year. As Sunday drew closer the idea of battering back in from Inner Farne on a F7 Westerly forced us to come up with an Alternative.

Ollie hatched  a plan to have a trip down a stretch of the Berwickshire Coast that might afford a little shelter. The forecast was now for F5 gusting F7 from the SW and later veering into the West.  A launch from Pease Bay with a finish point in St Abbs harbour was agreed upon. An early start saw the shuttle complete and we were mustered on the sand at Pease Bay ready for the off by 10.30 ish....



 

 



George's radio crackled into life as Ollie was briefing us on the paddle plan. The Forth and Aberdeen Coastguard confirmed that strong winds were still forecast for the day ahead but the strength had been reduced to F4/5.



 



We set off towards the headland of Fast Castle. Not long after leaving the shelter of Pease Bay the Cliffs steepen and we were soon rounding Siccar Point. This rocky outcrop  known internationally as Hutton’s Unconformity is a  Site of Special Scientific Interest and from here on the rock hopping improves all the way with Stacks, caves, narrow gullies and all manor of jaggy bits to destroy a composite boat. No surprise that on our trip we had a fine and varied selection of rotomoulded boats, that consisted of five Delphins and an Avocet.





With a little push from the breeze behind us we nosed into caves that had escaped our inspection on previous visits. The ever watchful eye of  the numerous Grey Seals kept guard of their tranquil home. This part of the coast line is very remote and even signs of fishing activity are rare. A quick look back towards the blot on the landscape that is Torness Power Station betrayed the otherwise calm conditions we were experiencing. White horses were visible as the Westerly wind had freshened enough to fold the tops over.

 

The piece of coastline known as the Little Rooks just before Fast Castle has some of the most amazing rock formations you'll find in SE Scotland. Time your arrival here half way up the flood and you'll find some fantastic gaps and gullies to squeeze through. Any more than a couple of feet of swell might render most of this ground inaccessible so keep an eye on the swell forecasts for trip planning here.

The pictures above shows the remains of Fast Castle balanced precariously on the edge of the cliff.
Fast Castle was originally known as False Castle, on account of the lights that were hung from it to mislead shipping. Mariners would see the lights as they were passing in darkness. They would assume that they had reached a safe haven, only to find that they had been guided onto rocks, where the awaiting wrecking parties would retrieve the cargo from the wreckage.

A few hundred yards from Fast castle you will come across the distinctive column of the Wheat Stack, a popular adrenaline rush for climbers who can often be seen clinging to the vertical sides by their finger nails.



Time had flown and the dinner bell had gone off an hour ago. We wanted to get to St Abbs Head for peak flow to catch some tidal action, so with two hours to spare we decided to spend the first one on the shore. What better place to stop than Lumsdaine Shore.  This really is an oasis in  the desert. The relatively sheltered fine shingle landing is one of the very few places you can get ashore on this remote stretch of coastline. The shingle beach lays way to a fine gravel plateau with a ready supply of drift wood to make a fire. Behind the fine gravel there's a small patch of fairly level grass which makes way to a winding track up the cliff. This might come in handy should you need to walk out for any reason.

 

As we left the tranquillity of Lumsdaine we could see St Abbs Head in the distance. A strange white line fringed the bottom of the cliffs which suggested to us that we may be about experience a change in conditions. As we neared the headland conditions rapidly changed form benign to a rather more interesting environment. The next few pictures are a little smudged and blotchy, probably something to do with the rain squall and tidal conditions we passed through to get round the headland.

 

Once round the Head we sought shelter from the wind and waves behind one of the towering sea stacks. This particular one has taunted Ollie for some time now, he is determined that one day he will climb to the top. I just hope I have my camera batteries charged for that day. On Sunday he took a bite out of it before diving in to cool off.







Things calmed down as we progressed beyond the lighthouse under St Abbs Head. As it was now high tide it would have been rude not to take a look in one or two of the caves that intersect the base of the cliffs to the South of the now redundant fog horn.





All too soon our trip was over and we had arrived at St Abbs Harbour. Brian still needed to expend some fuel before making a landing on the slipway in the corner of the harbour.  A quick climb up a ladder on the harbour wall dragging his boat behind sorted this out. The launch from the top of course was the reward for his efforts.

 

 

 



Weary and weather beaten we dragged our boats up the slip in the harbour. The cries form harbour master asking us for launching fees were met hastily by Alan's tongue in cheek reply of  " We didn't launch here mate, we've come from Pease Bay, we're only landing".  We loaded our boats and paid our dues to make sure we were welcome upon our next visit. The launching fee here is £3.00 for a kayak and to be honest is not too bad considering you can park for nothing  all day in the upper car park .

 

Make sure you carry a repair kit !